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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27799021">Anemoia.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorduroySweater/pseuds/CorduroySweater'>CorduroySweater</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A LOT OF DIALOGUE, Abandonment, All Platonic - Freeform, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Brotherly Love, Child Soldiers, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I'll add more tags later, Lost Childhood, Minecraft, Nostalgia, Some Humor, Swearing, War, dream was a soldier, no romantic relationships!!!, realistic minecraft world, sapnap and george are close bros, so was technoblade</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:36:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,014</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27799021</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorduroySweater/pseuds/CorduroySweater</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>(an - em - oi - uh) n. It's nostalgia.  Nostalgia for a time you've never known - the aching, longing feeling that rises in your chest and makes you yearn for experiences you've never had before.</p><p>After meeting George and Sapnap, Dream becomes a little familiar with anemoia.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Clay | Dream &amp; GeorgeNotFound &amp; Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream &amp; GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream &amp; Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), GeorgeNotFound &amp; Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), No Romantic Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>65</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hello! i've been writing this for a while now and i wanna see what other people think of it :) this is all just for fun, and if any of the content creators express any discomfort towards being in this fic i will immediately take it down.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tucked away in the back of the maze of bookshelves that snaked their way around the library, a boy with white rimmed goggles that were situated on his head sat alone at a table.  His cheek leaned into the palm of his right hand, earthy brown eyes carefully read every line of the page, stopping momentarily every time they reached the bottom.  </p><p>This happened every few pages.  His eyebrows would furrow together before he let out a sigh and continued  onto the next page.  The sound of parchment rustling as he slid his finger under the adjacent page to turn it over filled the otherwise silent library.  </p><p>From his seat near the back of the library, he heard the old spruce door at the front swing open; heavy footsteps causing the aged wood plank floors to whine and creak followed.  </p><p>“Oh George,”  Someone called in a tilted sing-song tone.  </p><p>Though the shelves blocked his view, the goggled boy could clearly picture the scowl of the middle-aged librarian that sat by the door - her metal framed glasses halfway down the bridge of her nose and the wrinkles that creased her forehead from glaring too much. </p><p> He never took his eyes off the text in front of him, but in his mind’s eye he saw a calloused finger dragging itself along the spines of the shelved books as they made their way around towards where he sat. He saw a boy, sixteen and no older than himself, sporting a white bandana and jet black hair that was grown out and parted down the middle.</p><p>“What now, Sapnap?” He mumbled, still not looking up.  To his left, a chair squeaked against  the wood floor as it was pulled closer to him.  George felt the other boy purposefully bump his shoulders against his own as he clumsily sat down.    </p><p>“What’cha reading?”  Sapnap brought his face closer to the thin moleskine book that sat on the dark oak table of the library.</p><p>“You’re in the way idiot,” George grabbed the tail ends of his friend’s bandana and pulled on them, making Sapnap’s head jerk backwards and away from the book.</p><p>“Dude, you’re gonna give me whipflash!” Sapnap whined before a loud <em> SHHH </em> resounded through the library.</p><p>“<em> Whipflash </em> ?” George whisper-shouted, trying not to burst out laughing and get them both kicked out.  “Do you mean <em> whiplash </em>?”</p><p>“Whipflash, whiplash, who cares,” Sapnap waved his hand in the air dismissively.  “But seriously, what are you reading?”</p><p>George scoffed at his friend before returning his gaze back downwards.  “It’s about the war - the one between our nation and the one in the west,” He slid the book slightly to the left so that it was shared equally between the both of them.  “It’s a soldier’s journal, see?” George took his index finger and pointed at the top of the page the book was opened up to.  </p><p>“You didn’t <em> need </em> to clarify what war it was,” Sapnap rolled his eyes.  “What other war would you <em> possibly </em> be referring to?”  </p><p>“Shut up and read, would you?” </p><p> xx/x/xxxx</p><p>The war rages on, as it did yesterday, and the day before, and as it will tomorrow as well.  There is no end in sight, not as far as one can see in the horizons of time.  How many lives did I take today? I can’t even seem to remember their faces.  Did the war and violence make me into this monster? Or did the war and violence bring out the monster that dwelled in me long before it had begun.  Yet another question that I cannot answer.</p><p>“He talks funny,” Sapnap said.   “All formal and writer-like.”</p><p>“Really, Sapnap? That’s all you got out of it?” He sighed, voice full of exasperation.  “Look at the weird symbol at the bottom of the entry.”</p><p>“Huh? Oh yeah, what is that?”  In place of a normal signature, like someone’s name written in fancy script was a small insignia the size of a nail - the silhouette of a pig’s head with a crown.</p><p>“A pig- no, a swine soldier,” George mused.  He leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms up towards the ceiling, letting out a yawn.</p><p>“How long have you been here for?”  Sapnap asked, flipping through the journal loudly.</p><p>“Since eight?” He craned his neck to check the time on the grandfather clock past the wall of shelves.  The clock read twelve pm.  “Yeah, I woke up at seven because Jolene asked me to get sweet berries from the forest, but I saw Newt and his crew with their shit wood swords fucking around outside of it, and I didn’t wanna deal with the lot of dickheads that early,” There was a foreign accent laced in some of his words, along with irritation as well.</p><p>“So I came to the library and I was actually gonna ask if you wanna come with me to the forest-” George stopped speaking abruptly.  The library was silent - devoid of the sound of rustling parchment.  He looked at his friend, who was seemingly transfixed in the journal.  </p><p>“You’re not listening.”</p><p>Silence.</p><p>“You’re still not listening.”</p><p>“Did you read this entry, George?” Sapnap asked quietly.  He slid the journal towards George and looked at him, eyes full of something George couldn’t quite name.</p><p>“I’ve only read the first couple pages, why?”  The Swine Soldier had talked about the first signs of combat - the first drop of blood spilled, the first slash of an iron sword against leather armor in the war.  </p><p>“Read this one.”</p><p>Tentatively, George began to read.</p><p> </p><p> x/xx/xxxx </p><p>I went scouting today - a job that was probably meant for, I don’t know, the scouts. </p><p>
  <em>(Despite not knowing the identity of the Swine Soldier, George could hear the dry humor in the first line - humor that wasn’t present in the entry he had shown to Sapnap.) </em>
</p><p>I rode Silverwind far past the camp site, passing into No-Man’s-Land - the ever expansive plains with no good place to hide or take cover in the midst of battle.   </p><p>Blood stained grass.  A severed finger, hand, sometimes a whole arm or head littered the ground.  How much of this is of my own work?  </p><p>We kept riding until we got to a village, or at least the remnants of one.</p><p>I checked through my past entries of battles and fights - none of those coordinates matched this one.  The wood log corners of houses were decorated with a mosaic of red.  Cobble foundations were coming apart by the stone.  Whole roofs were caved in, at worst. </p><p>There wasn’t a single sign of life.</p><p>One house, only one seemed to be in liveable condition.  At the end of the dirt path, past the ruined houses it sat.  </p><p>I didn’t push the door open expecting to find anyone living there, judging by the state of the rest of the village.  I most certainly didn’t expect to find a boy, no younger than ten, huddled in the corner.</p><p>He stared at me with eyes - eyes so green they could’ve been mistaken for emeralds.  They would’ve been beautiful, if it weren’t for the mistrust and anger that clouded them.  His face was framed by shoulder length blonde hair - greasy and caked with dried blood.  He wore tattered rags that hung loosely off of his small frame.</p><p>Pitiful, truly.</p><p>I set my sword down by the door and approached carefully, slowly.  The boy was practically bristling with every step I got closer, until he pulled out a dagger from behind him. </p><p> He swung, moving like a snake of water through the air with fluid and calculated motion.  </p><p>It wasn’t hard to catch his wrist mid-swing and throw the dagger aside.  “Who are you?” I had asked, only to receive no response.</p><p>He sleeps across the room of the very same house as I write this, curled up in a tight ball to protect his vital organs.  I will bring him back to the camp with me.</p><p> </p><p>There was the crowned pig insignia under the last word.  </p><p>“Isn’t it sad?” The entry had been quite long - George had nearly forgotten Sapnap was right beside him.  He tried not to look so startled by his voice.  </p><p>“Look at the year.  We were both ten, the kid’s the same age as us and what were we doing when we were ten?” Sapnap snorted.  “Playing hide and seek in hay bales?  This kid was dealing with shit no kid should have to deal with.  War fucking sucks man.”</p><p><em> How insightful </em> George thought at his friend’s last comment before surprise overtook him.  “You like, analyzed that Sapnap.”  </p><p>“Yeah, now you have to tell me what a genius scholar I am and give me some grand award,” Sapnap grinned before it faded a second later.  “Where do you think he is now?”</p><p>“The Swine Soldier? Or the kid?”</p><p>“Both, I guess.”  George pondered for a moment, running a hand through his already tousled brown hair.  </p><p>“I don't know, we’ll find out by the end of it,” They were midway through the journal.</p><p>“Bleh, I don’t wanna spend another hour here.  Pocket it and we can read it later tonight.  Let’s go to the forest and pick flowers like you said you had to.”</p><p>“Pick <em> berries </em>, and alright I heard you, but if Newt and them are still at the near entrance, then we’re taking the far way.”</p><p>Sapnap groaned as he got up from his chair and leaned forward on his toes and stretched like George had before.  “But the far entrance is so <em> far </em>, and you know I’d love any chance I could get to rough ‘em up a bit.”</p><p>“Yes I <em> do </em> in fact know that, Sapnap, which is exactly why I wanna avoid them. Do you know how hard it is to wrap your knuckles?”  George tucked the journal into the pocket of his trousers and pushed his and (of course) Sapnap’s chairs into the table.  He stole a glance at his friend’s hands.  Sapnap’s knuckles were discolored in an angry red.</p><p><em> “Go back to your own bloody nation! </em> ”  <em> Newt jeered in a lazy imitation of George’s accent. </em>   <em> “We don’t want war-starting fucks like you in our village!” </em></p><p>
  <em> George’s face was so hot from sheer anger.  Maybe if Newt had ever picked up a book in his life, he would know the real reason as to why the war started - a mutual dispute over claiming territory in the extreme hills.  The pure ignorance was enough to make George’s heart thump loudly against his chest. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Had Sapnap been a second later, he surely would’ve punched Newt himself.  Instead, there was a loud crack as Sapnap’s fist connected with Newt’s left jaw, the force behind it knocking Newt to the ground. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Get a fucking life, Newt!”  Sapnap had shouted leaving the bully shell-shocked on the ground. </em>
</p><p>Sapnap tucked his hands into his pockets and George swiveled his head to the side, trying to make it seem less obvious that he was staring.</p><p>“Alright, dude, we’ll take the long way.”</p><p>George felt warmth and affection for his friend bubble up in his chest, knowing full well how stubborn Sapnap could be at times.</p><p>“Thank you, Sapnap.”</p><p>*</p><p>“George I’m <em> tired </em>- ow!” George slapped Sapnap’’s back with the palm of his hand, straightening out his bad posture. </p><p>“We’re literally right here already,” After leaving the library, the two of them had begun to head towards the west entrance of the forest - the one that was only a ten minute walk away and could practically be seen from the outskirts of the village.  </p><p>When they saw Newt and his two other greasy friends, George made a beeline to the south of the village, dragging Sapnap by wrist as he protested.</p><p>
  <em> “It’s gonna take us so much longer to walk all around the forest to get to the east entrance!”  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “You already agreed that it was fine when we were in the library, Sapnap!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “But Geooorge-” </em>
</p><p>They stood outside the entrance to the dense spruce forest, taking deep breaths.  George pulled out a loaf of bread that Jolene had given him in exchange for coming to the forest for her.  He broke off a piece and handed it to Sapnap, who took it gratefully.</p><p>After their brief break from walking for so long, they headed into the forest, leaving a trail of footprints in the thin layer of snow that blanketed the ground.  George looked around as they walked, occasionally stopping to crouch down and pick a handful of berries from a little bush on the ground.</p><p>“Why’d Jolene ask you to do this again? I don’t think you told me,” Sapnap said as he quickly plucked a berry from the glass jar George had been putting them in, popping it into his mouth.</p><p>“Probably for the Nether Star Festival.  You know how the bakery usually makes pies and scones for it, right?” </p><p>Come to think of it, the Nether Star Festival wasn’t too far away from then, only a few weeks away.  Days would get shorter than they already were and soon the snow wouldn’t be limited to the spruce forest like it was now.  </p><p>“Yeah, I remember.  Plus, it’s not like she would ask Newt and them to do it,” Sapnap snorted at the thought.  There weren’t many other villagers their age aside from Newt and his friends.  It wasn’t uncommon for them to be asked favors by the bakery or blacksmith.  George and Sapnap almost always ran these errands together.</p><p>They continued walking, stopping at some point when they saw a copper colored ball of fur sleeping under a tree.</p><p>“Aw, look at the little guy,” George cooed softly, careful not to wake it up.  The fox hardly stirred, staying curled up in a ball and completely oblivious.</p><p>“George, where are we?”  Sapnap asked, turning around in a full circle.  </p><p>“Shit,” George said under his breath.  How long had they been walking for? An hour, almost two.  George tried to look for landmarks that they had passed, anything that would remind him of their pathing.  Everywhere he looked was the same - spruce trees and snow.</p><p>He looked at the sweet berry bushes that were in the vicinity.  They were all picked sporadically - there was no way to follow them without potentially getting more lost.</p><p>“Okay,” George breathed out.  “It’s gonna get dark soon, and in the time it’ll take us to find our  way back to the entrance and walk back to the village too, it’ll definitely be dark.”  </p><p>“So you think we should sleep in the forest, set up camp?”  George nodded.  “Why don’t we just start finding our way back now? We’re going to have to eventually.”</p><p>“I don’t even know where the way back is, it’ll probably take more time to find it than it did for us to get to where we are now and I don’t wanna risk us getting more lost.</p><p>The spruce forest was actually quite large in the area that it covered.  From the land map that hung in the village square, it covered more ground than their actual village did.  In the south of it, he knew there was a dip and a long river at the bottom.</p><p>“Shit,” Sapnap echoed George’s words.  “Well, at least it’s not the first time, right?”  </p><p>George let out a laugh despite their quite unfortunate situation.  “Yeah, you’re right.”</p><p>The last time this had happened they were five years younger, a few inches shorter and surely a good bit stupider.</p><p>
  <em> “We’re lost!” An eleven year old Sapnap wailed.  Mosquitos buzzed loudly throughout the cool summer night.  The sun had long set, leaving Sapnap and George underneath the starry night sky, surrounded by the smell of spruce and pine trees. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “We’re gonna get eaten by a zombie! Or shot through the heart by a skeleton,” Sometimes George found it hard to believe that this was his very friend that had socked Newt and his friends square in the jaw multiple times before. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Those are just tales made up by parents so that kids don’t go out at night,” George huffed, focusing on striking his flint and steel over the small pile of wood shavings he had accumulated.  Even when they were kids, he had (almost) always been the responsible one.  “We’ll be fine.” </em>
</p><p>And they were fine, of course.  They ended up sleeping on the bare ground around the shoddy fire that George made for them and finding their way after the sun had risen, though it had taken them some time to retrace their steps.</p><p>“Could you make a stone dagger and go slaughter a chicken or something? I’ll start a fire,” George shouldered his bag he had been carrying off and onto the ground.  He peered inside, checking what he had brought with him.  There was his flint and steel, the jar of berries for Jolene, a water skin and a quarter of a loaf of bread.</p><p>“Roger that,” Sapnap nodded, saluting George as the black haired boy walked off, leaving George to his own devices.</p><p><em> He’ll be fine </em> George thought to himself, sweeping a circle of snow out of the way to uncover the ground beneath it.  He looked around for stones to create a platform for the fire to sit on, since it would never start in a million years over the moist dirt.</p><p>“Alright,” George said to himself, laying his stones on the ground and pouring a handful of wood shavings on to the center of it.  He carefully balanced branches around it in a triangular cone shape before taking his flint and steel out to light it.  </p><p>After a few strikes, George sat back with a sigh, pleased with his handiwork.  In the ever darkening sky, the remaining orange and blue hues of dusk were slowly disappearing.  George was grateful he had managed to get the fire going in a decent amount of time.</p><p>George pulled out the journal from his pocket and stared down at it in his lap, running his thumb along the fore edge of the text block.</p><p><em> Hurry up, Sapnap </em>.  Surely nothing had happened.  The light of the fire and the tendrils of smoke it was producing was enough for him to find his way back, and killing a chicken or two shouldn’t take that long.  George had seen a handful of them around the forest on numerous different past trips he had taken to it.</p><p>A scream resonated through the forest.  </p><p>He knew that scream.  He heard that scream when Sapnap fell out of a tall oak tree when they were younger.  He heard that scream when Newt had thrown a sickly green bottled liquid at Sapnap that made his knees buckle and dry-heave from the pain until George managed to acquire a bottle of milk for Sapnap to drink.</p><p>George immediately sat up and felt his heart drop down to his stomach.  His mind quickly began working, thinking of what could have happened as he started to walk and then sprint to where he thought the yell came from.  Without even realizing, he had stuffed the journal back into his pocket.</p><p><em> Is it Newt? Is it fucking Newt? </em> Adrenaline pumped throughout George’s entire body and it still felt like he wasn’t running fast enough.</p><p>“Sapnap!” George shouted.  Every second, every millisecond of silence felt like an eternity.</p><p>“George!”  To his left, that was to his left.  George ran, urging his feet to carry him faster.</p><p><em> Please, please, please </em>.</p><p>He stopped running so abruptly that he was surprised he didn’t send himself falling forwards.  </p><p>George didn’t know what to make of the sight before him.</p><p>Sapnap was pinned against the ground, struggling tooth and nail against a figure that George couldn’t make out in the dark.  </p><p>“Get off of me!”  Sapnap thrashed from beneath them, trying to throw them off.</p><p>“Sapnap! What- Who-” From above Sapnap, the figure’s neck snapped to the side - directly towards George.  A white mask with a childishly drawn smiley face stared dead at him.  </p><p>Sapnap had been in enough fights to snatch the brief opportunity he had while they were distracted.  With all the strength he could muster, he threw them off of himself.  As Sapnap scrambled to his feet, a slash from a silver dagger narrowly missed his face.</p><p>“What the fuck is your problem?” Sapnap spat.  George rushed to his friend, putting himself in between Sapnap and Dream with his arms stretched out.</p><p>They stood a few paces in front of George, knife still drawn.  They were tall, taller than Newt was and a bit taller than Sapnap if George had to guess.  Around their body was a lime green cloak with the hood drawn, along with that crude white mask.  </p><p>“What do you want?” George breathed out slowly, still standing in between them and Sapnap.  The beady eyes of their mask stared at George.  Reading him.  “If it’s gold you want, we don’t have any of it on us, I swear.”  He waited for a response, listening to the symphony of all their heavy breaths mixed together.</p><p>And then they collapsed.</p><p>They swayed in place at first, teetering back and forth but fighting to stay on both feet before their knees completely buckled and they fell face first into the ground, the dagger falling out of their hand and on to the snowy ground.  There they laid, an unmoving blanket of lime green.</p><p>It took Sapnap and George a second to process what had just happened.  Neither of them dared to move towards or away from the body.  Neither of them dared to even breathe.</p><p>“Sapnap- Sapnap are you okay?!” George spun around and immediately began checking his friend for any injuries.  On his cheek was a single cut - the blood already dry and crusty. </p><p>“Y-yeah, I’m okay.  I’m fine.  I was looking around for a chicken you know?  Just like you told me to and suddenly this guy is in my face, swinging his dagger,” Sapnap’s hands were shaking.  He swallowed.  “I blinked and he was just in my face - and he’s wearing that stupid bright green cloak so I should’ve been able to see him, even in the dark.  I couldn’t even hear him approaching or anything, George.”</p><p>George took one of Sapnap’s hands in his own and gave it a reaffirming squeeze - one that told him that he was okay now.  He turned back towards the body on the floor, still in the same exact position as it was before.</p><p>“I think… I think it must’ve been fatigue, or dehydration, or hunger or anything along those lines,” George said after some careful thought.  “From what you just said, he’s not just some random thief or bandit, and you didn’t like, hit him in the head or anything right?”</p><p>“Definitely not, I couldn’t even get one hit in - he moved like he could see what I was gonna do before <em> I </em> even knew that’s what I was gonna do.”  George nodded, taking Sapnap’s words into consideration.  </p><p>“We should take him back with us.  Back to the camp,” Sapnap let out a strangled noise.</p><p>“He probably would’ve wound up killing the <em> both </em> of us if he hadn’t just passed out like this!  And you wanna take him back with us?”</p><p>“He’ll die if we leave him here.”</p><p>“What makes you so sure?!”</p><p>“Look at him!” George gestured sharply to the ground where the boy laid, face right in the snow.  “Someone who fights like what you just described wouldn’t suddenly collapse like that.  He has to be sick or something or anything! I don’t know but we shouldn’t just leave him here.”  </p><p>Sapnap stared between George and the body incredulously, mouth open but no words coming out.  </p><p>“For the record, I think this is an incredibly stupid idea - almost as stupid as making us walk all the way around to the far entrance of the forest,” George opened his mouth to retort but shut it before he said anything.  “But… Fuck!  If we die we are not gonna be best friends as ghosts.”</p><p>George gave him a small grin, Sapnap looking to the side irritatedly.  The brown haired boy bent down and picked up the dagger, putting the hilt in the waistband of his trousers and layering his shirt underneath it so that it wouldn’t cut into his side.</p><p>“I’ll drag his front, you lift his legs,” He said, struggling to push the boy over onto his back.  Something in George’s mind told him that if the other boy had any strength left, any at all, this would’ve been a completely different story.  Still, now that he laid on his back, he didn’t move a muscle.</p><p>George leaned over and situated his hands under his arms, around his armpits.  Sapnap grabbed the boy by the ankles and lifted his legs up, making it loads easier for George to pull him. </p><p>“Why am I always going along with you and your dumb stupid idiotic ideas?” Sapnap grumbled.</p><p>“Because you love me, of course.”</p><p>“As of right now, at this very moment, as we drag our literal potential murderer to our campsite to nurse him back to health, I’m not sure if I can agree with you George.”</p><p>“Well, when you put it like that, I guess I don’t blame you.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hellooo second chapter woohoo! not gonna lie, i had some trouble writing some spots of this, so if there are any places that just feel off or like it doesn't flow right, let me know C:<br/>also PLEASE do not copy or repost this onto any other site!!<br/>one last thing i wanna clarify is that this has no relation to the Dream SMP world in case some people might've thought it was. it's a "minecraft-based" world, so some things are in line with minecraft mechanics gameplay while others aren't if that makes sense.<br/>okay bye now</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Honestly? That was the best sleep Dream had gotten in as long as he could remember.</p><p>How long had it been since he last slept like that? Or slept at all, for that matter.  Almost two weeks?  Dream stopped counting.</p><p>When he finally regained consciousness, it took him a few seconds to recall what had happened and where he was.  The pounding sensation in his head was still there, along with that needle-like pressure.  </p><p>
  <em> Spruce forest.  Bandana boy - I was going to knock him out and just take any food he had on him.  Goggles showed up and protected him, he even used his body as a shield. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Ah, I shouldn’t have taken my eyes off of Bandana, that was a rookie mistake.  I wonder what He would say about it if he saw me do that. </em>
</p><p>Dream’s entire body ached; his legs felt like they were made of lead.  His head felt like it was threatening to burst open.  All he wanted to do was lay there for a little while longer.  Maybe for a few hours.  Maybe for a few days.  </p><p>He felt a comfortable warmth brushing his right side.  There was the sound of a crackling fire pit that accompanied it - close and loud enough that he almost would’ve missed the hushed whispers in the background.  </p><p>Almost.</p><p>Dream sat up in a split second, his hand instinctively reaching towards the holster on his belt that carried his dagger.  He closed his hand around - only to grab at the air.  The shock of moving so quickly caused his migraine to send another wave of pain to his head, making Dream flinch.</p><p>On the opposite side of the fire, the two boys from earlier were sitting on wooden logs, staring at him with wide, bewildered eyes.  The fire casted an orange glow on their faces, Goggles using a long branch to stoke it.  From beside him, Bandana eyed him cautiously, holding an iron dagger, <em> his </em> iron dagger in right hand.</p><p>“Um,” Goggles said, clearing his throat.  “Hello.  My name is George and this-”</p><p>“- the guy you kind of, y’know, randomly attacked,” Bandana quickly added.</p><p>“-is Sapnap,” Goggles, no, George finished.  “You passed out, do you remember? So we brought you back here.  I figured you might be sick, or you passed out from fatigue or hunger or dehydration or something.”</p><p><em> Well, he’s not wrong </em>.  It was a little bit of this and a little bit of that.  Dream had been awake for nearly a full two weeks, only stopping once every few days to get food when he really needed to, not to mention the migraine he had acquired a few days ago and was still tormenting him now.</p><p>“Why-” Dream coughed.  His throat was unbelievably parched; that single word was so painful to get out.  From across the fire, Sapnap reached into a bag and tossed a waterskin to him.  Dream brought it to his nose and took a small whiff of it.</p><p>“Dude,” Sapnap said, leaning towards the fire with his forearms resting on his thighs.  “It’s not poisoned or anything.”</p><p><em> I’ll decide that on my own </em>.  Dream took a small swig from the waterskin, sloshing it around in his mouth before he begrudgingly swallowed.  His throat thanked him heavily for it, despite the nagging feeling in his mind.</p><p>“Why did you save me?” Dream tossed the waterskin back, Sapnap catching it with ease.  At Dream’s question, George raised both of his eyebrows.</p><p>“Well, it’s nigh winter.  You surely would’ve died if we just left you there in the snow.”</p><p>“I attacked you guys.”</p><p>“See George? Even he gets it.”</p><p>“Shut up, Sapnap.  Nobody deserves to die alone.”</p><p>Dream still didn’t get it.  He still didn’t understand, just like how he didn’t understand why George had shielded Sapnap with his <em> own </em> body.</p><p><em> No </em>.  They were the ones that didn’t understand.  Yeah, that sounded right.  They were the ones that didn’t understand how in this world, the only one worth protecting was yourself.  </p><p>The only one worth saving was yourself. </p><p>The only life worth fighting for was your own.</p><p>“What’s with the mask?” Sapnap’s question cut through his train of thought.  Dream reached up and gingerly brushed his mask with the tips of his fingers.</p><p>“Give yourself away to the enemy and you have already lost half of the battle,” The words flowed out of Dream’s mouth without him realizing.  </p><p>
  <em> Dream’s eyes flitted to the side for the briefest second, confidently calculating in his mind the next steps he would take, the direction and the angle he would swing his sword. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> He sidestepped to where he had looked before and jabbed his sword forward.  It would’ve run right through any other person’s vital organs right then and there, brutally piercing their intestines, but in one fell strike Dream’s sword was knocked sideways and out of its path. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Within the briefest second, a wood sword pressed against his throat in a smooth upward motion.  Dream didn’t even dare to breathe. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “You’re far too obvious, not discreet at all,” The pink haired man lowered his sword.  Dream glared at him irritatedly.  He turned, his long braid of hair whipping around as he reached into a bag and pulled something out.   </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Give yourself away to the enemy and you have already lost half of the battle,” A white mask with two simple dots for eyes and a small curved line of a smile was pushed into Dream’s hands.  The eyes of the pig’s head stared at Dream, cold and emotionless - uncaring of how much Dream’s young body ached, uncaring of how heavy Dream’s arms felt. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> He put the mask on and once again readied his sword to spar for what was the twentieth or hundredth round - yet to win a single time. </em>
</p><p>“Well, could you tell us your name at the very least?” George asked.  From beside him, Sapnap let out a yawn, rubbing his eyes with the hand that didn’t hold the dagger.</p><p>“...Dream,” He answered after some pause.  Again, an old memory resurfaced in Dream’s mind.</p><p>
  <em> “Your name is Dream,” Dream looked up from his corner of the tent.  Across from him, the older man sharpened a blue, no, diamond blade with careful precision. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I was named Clay.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “You were named Clay,” He said with finality that made Dream bite his tongue. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “My parents-” The man angled his axe, pretending to inspect it.  Dream saw his reflection in it, staring back at him, the fake smile permanently plastered on the mask.  “They named me Clay when I was born.  That was the name they called me by; the name my sister called me by for eight years before they were… killed.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The man sighed, setting his diamond sword down on the floor of the tent.  He walked over to Dream and crouched down in front of him so they were eye level.   </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Dream always hated that pig’s mask he wore - it covered half of his face leaving only his mouth visible - two tusks protruding upwards and a snout sitting in between them.  Dream shuddered at the thought of it being the last thing to see before he died - as was the case for a countless number of soldiers. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I found you.  I trained you.  I gave you shelter,”  He gestured around the tent.  “In return, you fight alongside me in the war.  It’s a pretty good exchange, isn’t it Dream? A lot better than being a sad, lonely orphan in some sad abandoned village, right?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Dream’s heart hammered in his chest.  His fingernails dug into his palm, threatening to break skin.  He could unsheathe his dagger and drive it through the man’s chest in a second.  No, he would surely be able to react faster, just like he always did every single time they scrimmaged. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Yes, Technoblade.”  Technoblade reached a hand out and ruffled Dream’s hair before standing up. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Dream felt so, so cold and exhausted.  </em>
</p><p>“Dream then.  Well, it’s been a long night.  Sapnap and I are gonna try and catch some shut eye before the sun rises and we head back to our village.”  George said.  Sapnap seemed to have already fallen asleep from his seat on the log.  “Good night, Dream.”</p><p>Dream pulled his cloak tighter around himself, breathing out and barely being able to see it come out in a small misty cloud.  He laid back down, curling up on his side, back towards the fire.</p><p>It was comfortable.</p><p> </p><p> *</p><p> </p><p>Sapnap rubbed his eyes, half-expecting the rays of sun that were hitting him to disappear with the motion as if they were a smudge of dirt.  He opened one eye and glared at the sun, silently cursing it.</p><p>To say that he slept well would’ve been a lie.  Despite how tired he had been, he woke up every five minutes, squinting across the fire to check if Dream was still there and that George was okay and still in one piece.</p><p>Something arose in Sapnap’s chest - a fleeting moment of panic, the briefest feeling of his heart sinking to his stomach as he frantically looked around before his eyes finally rested on George’s sleeping form - limbs splayed across the ground and his bag tucked under his head.</p><p>Sapnap let out a small sigh of relief, panic was replaced with comfort and warmth.  George had always been the early riser - knocking on Sapnap’s door at seven in the morning with his small, grubby nine year old hands.  For him to still be out like this, Sapnap knew his friend had to be completely exhausted. </p><p>“You care deeply for him.” Across from the almost dead fire, Dream sat upright with one leg bent and the other stretched out.  He looked at Sapnap with those beady eyes, his mask giving absolutely nothing away.</p><p>Sapnap propped his upper half up on the weight of his forearms, letting himself get a good look at Dream.  In Dream’s hand was the dagger <em>(when had he taken it back?</em>), rotating the hilt of the blade in his palm.</p><p>“I mean, of course,” Sapnap said, not even needing to think about it.  George’s chest rose and fell rhythmically.  His mouth opened and closed like a fish’s.  <em> I hope a bug crawls in </em> Sapnap thought.</p><p>“Would you die for him?”  Dream asked with the same level tone that gave nothing away, none of his emotions, none of his intentions.  Sapnap’s eyes darted to the dagger watching the way its iron blade glinted from the sun.</p><p>“Of course,” Sapnap’s eyes rested on George, his gaze softening and the fists he didn’t even realize were clenched relaxed a bit. </p><p> He missed it then, the way Dream’s grip on the dagger tightened by a fraction, the way Dream pursed his lips and his eyebrows unconsciously twitched from behind the smiley white facade.</p><p>“What time is it?” George’s sleepy tone and half-slurred words cut through the tension in the air.  He sat up from the ground, looking between Dream and Sapnap with eyes that seemed like they were fighting to stay open.</p><p>“I dunno, but we should probably start heading back, right?” Sapnap stood up and brushed off any dirt or snow from his clothes before holding a hand out to George.  Placing his hand in Sapnap’s, George hoisted himself up off the ground while Sapnap pulled him.</p><p>“What are you gonna do, Dream?”  George asked.  Dream watched George and Sapnap with this tentativeness, like he was constantly stuck between fight or flight.  </p><p>Sapnap didn’t need to see Dream’s face to feel the uncertainty that radiated off of him. Sapnap didn’t see Dream’s face, but he saw the way Dream pulled his knees close to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, making himself look small.</p><p>Sure, George could say that Sapnap didn’t pay attention <em> all </em> the time, but Sapnap liked to think that he, in fact, was not an idiot.</p><p>“I’m…”  Dream began to stand up, stumbling on his own feet as he did.  He reaches up and clutches the lime green hood that covers his head.  “Shit,” He mumbled.</p><p>“Hey, you alright man?” Sapnap asked - concern in his tone easy to catch.  Dream pulled his hood off, revealing dirty blonde hair pulled back into a short ponytail.  He wove his fingers through his hair, pushing at his scalp.</p><p>Dream shook his head.  “I’ve had this migraine, is all.” He pulls his hood back over, concealing his hair once again.  </p><p>“From what?” George began walking, following some unseeable path.  Sapnap stayed behind, looking at Dream with wary grey eyes.  A few paces away, George stopped in his tracks and turned to look back at the two of them, waiting.  Dream looked to the side, seeming greatly intrigued by the branches of the pine trees.</p><p>“I’ve just been looking for someone,” Dream said with a tone that told them he wasn’t going to elaborate. </p><p>“You could come with us, you know,” Sapnap kicked some snow at his feet.  Dream seemed about as surprised as he could with that mask on.  Hiis head quickly turned at Sapnap’s words.  He didn’t say anything right away, letting what Sapnap had said sink in. </p><p>Sapnap, with his attention on Dream, didn’t catch the way George’s mouth opened by an inch before closing a breath after and the way George’s eyebrows quirked upwards before relaxing.</p><p>“‘It's just a thought is all,” He said quickly.  Sapnap jogged towards George, tugging him along  by the elbow of his folded arm when he passed him.</p><p>“Just a thought?” George said after a few moments of walking in silence.  The sun sat in its rightful place, high above the sky.  With each step they took, there was the <em> crunch </em> of snow.  From time to time, there was a sharp breeze, sharp enough to serve as a reminder of the impending winter season. </p><p>“What are you talking about you nimrod?” Sapnap said, rubbing the back of his neck.  He turned around to look behind them.  Gray eyes widened in surprise when they saw Dream trailing behind them a good distance away, seemingly uninterested in getting closer than ten feet.  </p><p>“You’re not exactly ‘Nice Guy Sapnap’, you know?” George turned his head to look back at Dream, just as Sapnap’s turned back around to face forward.  “Is he following us? That’s good.”</p><p>“I’m surprised he is.”  Sapnap cracked his knuckles mindlessly as they walked.  “Don’t you notice how on edge he is?  For a guy who fights like him, he sure does seem insecure.”</p><p>“You think so?” George asked.  Despite the few inch difference in height between them, the  boys subconsciously had matched their strides, each step one took being synced with the other’s.</p><p>“Oh come on now,” Sapnap huffed.  “It’s obvious - you can see it in the way he carries himself.  He sits and sleeps all curled up,  trying to seem small and unnoticeable.  I’m like, almost certain that he wouldn’t be following us unless he was at his wit’s end.”</p><p>“I forget that you notice things like that,” George said thoughtfully.  “Who would’ve thought we’d come to the forest for berries and come out with berries <em> and </em> a strange guy wearing a mask.”</p><p>“It really is the perfect buy-one-get-one deal, huh?”  And despite the weird situation they were in, the two of them filled the forest with their hearty laughter, not even thinking twice about how loud they are.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Was Dream an idiot for following two guys he had just met (not to mention, <em> fought </em> ) all the way back to their village?  Maybe.  What he <em> did </em> know for sure was that he needed a week’s worth of sleep and a hot meal.  Annoyingly, a voice that sounded too much like Technoblade whispered into his mind’s ear.  </p><p>
  <em> Trap.  It’s a trap.  Never trust a stranger; for a stranger is just as much of an enemy as your known enemy is. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Shut up, shut up, please shut up. </em>
</p><p>After a little less than an hour of meandering around the forest in search of the entrance and then maybe another hour of walking along the outside of it, a village began coming closer into their view.</p><p>It was a big village, a lot bigger than Dream remembers his being (which wasn’t often, since remembering his village wasn’t exactly Dream’s favorite pastime in the world).  As they continued to walk towards it, Dream could see people walking about, coming in and out of homes and other buildings.</p><p>There were houses - some of them small and cubic with about enough space to fit one bed, a furnace and chest if Dream had to estimate.  Others were a little larger with a second story to go with it. </p><p> Along the gravel path that began at the edge of the village, Dream could see little stands popped up along it with their colorfully dyed roofs.  From behind the booth, there would be someone encouraging people to come and trade with them or pay in gold for some goods, calling out what they were selling and beckoning those who passed by with an eager hand and charming smile.</p><p>The gravel path continued, sometimes breaking off to lead to other parts of the village.  Following it straight from the south edge of the village lead to a cobble-paved open area - the buildings surrounding it in a circular formation.</p><p>“That’s where the Nether Star Festival is gonna be held,” George piped up.  Dream looked at him quizzically until he remembered the other boy couldn’t see his face.</p><p>“Nether Star Festival?”  Dream repeated.  Before George could answer, there was the sound of a shrill, joyous shriek followed by the hammering of steps on gravel.  A brown haired boy with a fluffy head of hair raced past the three of them, shortly trailed by a blonde haired boy who looked about the same age as the first one.</p><p>“Tubbo, Tommy, don’t cause trouble!” Sapnap called after them.  The blonde boy stumbled in his steps as he turned around mid run.</p><p>“Fuck you!” He stuck his tongue out before continuing to run after his friend.  </p><p>“Kids these days,” Sapnap shook his head disapprovingly, clicking his tongue. </p><p>“As if you were any better,” George laughed.  “That was Tubbo and Tommy.  They’re one of the younger ones in the village,” They stopped walking momentarily as George began talking to one of the trading stand clerks.</p><p>“Are there other kids your age in the village?” Dream asked.  The black-haired teen leaned against the wood fence of a lighting post - one of many that sat on the side of the gravel path.  George continued talking to the frizzy haired woman managing the booth.</p><p>“Mmm…  Yeah, but it’ll be a good freakin’ day if we don’t run into them,” Sapnap rolled his eyes.  Dream nodded, moreso in acknowledgment than agreement.  </p><p>He thought of the two boys that had just run by - Tommy and Tubbo.  He thought about how happy they seemed, looking at the world through their innocence-colored glasses.  He thought about how lucky they didn’t even know they were.</p><p>Dream thought about that weird, sickly feeling in his chest that he couldn’t put a name to.</p><p>“Sorry about that,” George walked back towards them, slipping a cloth wrapped bundle into his bag as he did.  “I didn’t know that Abigail would have a stand out today.  Last time we helped her build a well for the farm, so she said she’d give us some crops next time we saw her.”  </p><p>Dream looked to the woman named Abigail, who seemed like she was a little too focused on staring straight ahead.</p><p>“Don’t you have to go to Jolene?” Sapnap said, drawing Dream’s attention back to them.</p><p>“Oh yeah, I nearly forgot about that,” George pulled a glass jar out of his bag, filled almost to the top with plump sweet berries.  “You can take Dream to your place or take him around the village if he wants to trade with anyone.”  </p><p>“Alright, then I guess it’s just me and you Dream,” Sapnap said, no longer leaning against the pole of the lighting post.  “See you at my place later, yeah?” George nodded in confirmation, beginning to walk off on his own, leaving Dream with Sapnap.</p><p>“My house is closer to the west end of the village, but I can show you everything that’s on the way there,” The two of them began to walk together, Dream putting a sizable bit of distance between them.</p><p>If either of them noticed the way passerbys stared at Dream when he walked, neither of them chose to mention it.  Dream definitely noticed though.</p><p>“It’s a big village,” He noted, not really intending for Sapnap to hear.  </p><p>His own village had consisted of a little less than fifteen houses, including his own.  There was the bakery run by the elderly couple (<em> Dream wishes he helped them out more while he still had the chance to </em> ), the little farm that everyone contributed to ( <em> Dream wishes he didn’t complain when it was his day to tend the crops </em> ), the blacksmithery ( <em> Dream wishes he couldn’t remember the blacksmithery </em>).</p><p>“It’s far from the eastern border of the nation, so we’re farther from the west nation than some villages probably are.  We’re lucky we never got raided or stuck in the crossfire, you know?”  Sapnap replied.</p><p>“Yeah, I know,” Dream said, almost certainly to himself this time.  </p><p>Sometimes while they walked, there would be someone standing atop a log outside their home, reaching upwards to hang colorful lanterns around the roof.  Even outside of the blacksmith (Dream didn’t need Sapnap to tell him that it was a blacksmithery), there was a stout, burly man fitting the roots of a pine tree a little taller than Dream into the ground.</p><p>“Is all of this for the… the Nether Star Festival?” Dream asked.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m surprised you don’t know what it is,” Sapnap said in reply.  “It’s just this one day in the year where everyone gathers in the village square.  There’s gonna be this huge feast and this awesome tree and- oh! George and I have this thing where we give each other a gift every year.” </p><p>Dream’s couldn’t say he understood the appeal of trees and decorating, but something about the way Sapnap’s voice got a little higher pitched and his eyes shone a little more stopped Dream from outright saying that.</p><p>“It sounds nice,” Dream nodded.</p><p>“Dude, it’s the best, I’m telling you,” Sapnap grinned brightly.  “If you’re still here by then we should definitely-”</p><p>“Oh dear, would you look at what we have here?” Came a new voice.  From behind one of the houses, three boys walked around the corner, now standing in front of Dream and Sapnap.  </p><p>Dream could already tell he didn’t like the boy in the middle - the one with a squashed nose, cocky smirk and his hands in the pockets of his trousers.  “Sapnap and his new charity case.  Finally got bored of Georgie after all these years, did’ja?  Well, can’t say I blame you.”  </p><p>“Geez, Newt, were you stalking us?” Sapnap snorted, shaking some hair out of his face.  “Someone’s obsessed.”  The boy in the middle, Newt, scoffed at Sapnap’s words.</p><p>“You know Sappy, you’d be cool if you stopped hanging out with fucking <em> weirdos </em>,” Newt swaggered closer towards them, stopping in front of Dream at his last word.  “So, what’s your deal? Are you from the west too? Or did the circus forget about you at their last pit stop?” The two boys standing behind him laughed obnoxiously, as if on cue.</p><p>“You don’t even know him so why don’t you fuck off?” Sapnap cracked his knuckles, extending and curling his fingers.</p><p>“Aw,” Newt cooed, taking a step towards Sapnap.  “It sure is a shame that Georgie isn’t around to drag you away, isn’t it?”</p><p>Without thinking, Dream reached up and put a hand on his Newt’s shoulder, pulling so that he was face-to-face with Dream.  </p><p>“What? Outsiders don’t have a place here y’know,” Newt shoved at Dream’s chest.  “That includes you, bud-” </p><p>Before Newt could shove at Dream again, Dream gripped both of Newt’s forearms in his hands, yanking him forward.  He brought his knee into Newt’s stomach, throwing him on the ground, sending bits of gravel flying.</p><p>The  two boys that had been standing idly stared in shock before falling out of their trance.  They rushed forward; to his left Sapnap sidestepped and raised his arm, elbowing the kid in the side of the head.  </p><p>Dream’s body seemed to kick into autopilot - remembering his countless past fights.  He grabbed at the boy’s wrist and in one fluid motion, he pulled the boy over his shoulder - his back slamming into the gravel right beside Newt.  Not moments later, the boy Sapnap had been fighting fell to the ground as well, the knuckles of Sapnap’s hands bruised and discolored.</p><p>“Holy shit,” Sapnap breathed out.  “Holy- Come on, we gotta get out of here,” He broke off into a run, Dream following closely behind.  As they ran between and behind houses, not following the main path, Sapnap let out a loud whoop.  He turned his head to look at Dream with eyes full of excitement and a grin that made him feel a little warm despite the colder weather.  </p><p>If Dream had the urge to let out his own little <em> whoop </em>, nobody else had to know.  </p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>The sun had long set by the time George was making his way from the northeastern part of the village to the west end where Sapnap’s house was.  His bag was heavier than it had been when they first arrived, filled with the carrots he had gotten from Abigail as well as some tarts that Jolene had carefully wrapped in wax paper for him.  Stowed away in a separate compartment was the journal.</p><p><em> Maybe we could read some more of it when I get back, </em> George thought to himself, silently itching to find out what happened to the little blonde boy after the Swine Soldier had written that entry.</p><p>Even without the sun, the village was still bright thanks to the strings of lanterns that people hung outside their homes, along with the lighting posts that illuminated the gravel path as well.  It wasn’t nearly as bustling anymore - most people were probably home already by now, cooking up supper or drawing a hot bath to signal the end of the day.  Jolene was likely still working at the bakery as people came to buy a last minute loaf of bread to go with their dinner or a sweet bun to enjoy afterwards.</p><p><em> Mmm, dinner and a hot bath </em>.  The things George would do for either one of the two probably shouldn’t be said aloud.  He hadn’t been home since yesterday morning and after a night of sleeping on the ground and walking for who-knows how long, a bath was very much needed.  The angry grumbling of his stomach told him that a hearty dinner was very much needed too.</p><p>George stopped in front of Sapnap’s house.  It was somewhat shoddily built, which was fair since Sapnap had built it himself to avoid having to pay the carpenter, Louis for it, but it was one of the houses in the villages that had two floors to it.  Plus, the mismatched birch and oak planks and logs that made up the walls of it weren’t too ugly if you asked George.</p><p>“I’m back,” George called, twisting the handle of the door and pushing it open.  “Sorry, I didn’t mean get back after sunset- what the fuck?”  </p><p>Sitting on the blue cushioned sofa was Sapnap and Dream - Dream holding Sapnap’s right hand in his own and a roll of gauze in the other.  </p><p>“Hey, you’re pretty good at this- George! My best friend,” Sapnap quickly pulled his hand away from Dream’s and hid it behind his back.  Dream turned his head to look at George, who was  still standing in the doorway. </p><p>“Did you get into a fight?  With Newt? Come <em> on </em> Sapnap,” George said, somehow disappointed and not surprised at the same time.</p><p>“I mean, I wouldn’t say <em> I </em> got into a fight, it’s more like a <em> we </em>, thing,” Sapnap said in a hurry.  “I mean, Newt had it coming, right Dream?” To George’s disbelief, Dream nodded in agreement. </p><p>“That is true,” Dream said.  Beside him, Sapnap gave Dream a thumbs up and a head nod.</p><p>“I can’t believe you’re going along with this,” George said solemnly, shaking his head in disapproval.</p><p>It started out with a few seconds of silence before there was a quiet chuckle.  It surely hadn’t come from George, and Sapnap hadn’t opened his mouth either.  A few moments later came a full blown wheeze as Dream clutched his sides, his shoulders shaking from laughing.</p><p>Before they knew it, Sapnap and George were laughing as well, all three of them filling the house with the sound of their hysterics. </p><p>George supposed that dinner and a bath could wait a few moments.</p><p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>fun fact if i upload on schedule the last chapter should come out the week of christmas which i think is pretty pog. let me know what you think of this chapter! you can comment questions, give criticism, or anything (as long as you're respectful :) )<br/>this chapter isn't beta read yet!! but i will go back and edit it in the near future + the first chapter too<br/>next chapter should come out monday 12/7<br/>stay safe! take care of yourself! bye &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i am a student in high school so i will try my best to update this every monday. i don't intend on leaving this unfinished or making it longer than like five chapters, but things change and get in the way BUT i promise will do my absolute best to not leave this unfinished. please leave any comments, criticism is very much appreciated (but please be nice :c ) !</p></blockquote></div></div>
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